Central Carolina Community College capital projects

The Central Carolina Community College Board of Trustees voted to request $23 million in funding from the Lee County Board of Commissioners to build and renovate several college facilities during its Wednesday meeting. The trustees are requesting, via resolution, for the commissionears to provide funding “by issuance of bonds or otherwise.” If the commissioners place the bond referendum on the ballot, and it is then approved by a vote of the people, the funds would provide for the following anticipated projects, ranked by priority:

Health Sciences Center

The top priority by the trustees is to construct a new Health Sciences Center, otherwise known as the continuing education building, for workforce training programs in Lee County. The newly-constructed center would allow the expansion for the Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Assisting, Optometric Technician, Pharmacy Technology and Associates Degree Nursing programs, among others, and would also house a new campus bookstore, industrial training and the Joblink Center. The location for the center has not been determined yet.

Estimated cost: $9 million

Veterinary Medical Technology Facility

The 4,000 square-foot building housing the VMT Program, one of the college’s most successful, would be renovated, and nearly 13,000 square feet of space would be added. The current laboratory and facility were cited as the areas that need the most improvement during the college’s recent accreditation report by the American Veterinary Medical Association Committee on Veterinary

See Capital/Page A9

Technician Education and Activities.

Estimated cost: $5 million

Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center

A committee was established in 2011 to identify how the civic center could best serve the public in the coming years. The committee identified safety problems and a need for additional conference space to increase rental opportunities. The project would call for renovations of the facility and the addition of 14,500 square feet.

Estimated cost: $4 million

Various Repairs and Renovations

The project would include a variety of repairs and renovations, including replacing the roof on Joyner Hall, expanding the welding program and renovating the Emergency Services Training Center. Improvements to the emergency service center would include adding shower and locker room facilities, non-lethal firearms training areas, improvement to the driving track and adding a chain-link security fence.

Estimated cost: $4 million

Downtown Business Incubator

Paul Howard and Barbara James donated a building, located at 130 S. Steele St., to the community college to be used as a small business incubator and to house the college’s Small Business Center. This project would renovate the building and replace the roof.